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Monday, February 26, 2007
Waiting for wristbands
Wristbands for the South By Southwest music shindig went on sale at noon Monday at Waterloo Records and, for the second year in a row, store managers anticipated a sellout by closing of all 4,000.
Perhaps giving Austin a preview of SXSW, the morning line at its peak stretched around the Waterloo block and down Sixth Street in 80-plus-degree weather. The first 2,000 sold for $130, the second 2,000 for $160. The wristbands allow entrance — but don’t guarantee admission — to venues at the festival March 14-18. SXSW Director Roland Swenson said more wristbands would go on sale eventually, but he declined to give numbers.
“Our plan right now is to wait a week, track how registrations are coming in, take another look at our total capacity (and then) put some number of wristbands on sale the first night of the festival,” he said. In recent years, a total of 12,000 wristbands have been put in circulation, some sold to the public, many others given to bands and festival participants.
Where in previous years it took several days for wristbands to sell out, the little pieces of plastic sold out in a day for the first time in 2006.
In an effort to combat scalpers, SXSW this year sent out a text message informing people who had signed up on their Web site the moment the wristbands became available. The line formed within minutes. “We did achieve that goal, I think,” Swenson said. “I didn’t see the obvious scalper types there. This was one of the few time we’ve ever kept a secret and it worked.”
(photo by Deborah Cannon AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
Sound off:
Hundreds of Austin music fans swarmed Waterloo Records today and some waited in line for hours to secure wristbands for the SXSW Music Festival. Did you buy a wristband? Was it worth the wait? Which 2007 acts are you excited about seeing?
